Container



jan. 55,1943. Q H, DAHLGREN 2939?@23 CONTAINER l f;

Filed Sept. 9, 1939 y INVENTO i of Patente-d Jan. 5, 1943 CONTAINERCharles H. Dahlgren, West New York, N. J., as-

signor to American Can Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of NewJersey Application September 9, 1939, Serial No. 294,193

(Cl. 22o-31) 3 Claims.

' The present invention relates to containers such as hinge cover tabletboxes or the like and has particular reference to a pintleless hingehaving a locking feature which is adapted to retain the cover inpredetermined positions on the box.

An object of the invention is the provision of a hinge cover tablet boxor the like wherein the cover is permanently' secured to the box by aplntleless hinge which is designed to lock theV cover against accidentalopening when it is in closed position and is also designed to retain thecover in unlocked position when it is released and partially open.

Another object is the provision of such a tablet ling the box cover inclosed position i Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged sectional views takensubstantially along a plane indicated by the lines 2-2 in Fig. l, theviews showing the cover of the box in different positions;

Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary sectional details taken substantiallyalong the lines 4 4, 5-5 in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 3 showing thecover in fully open p osition.

As a preferred embodiment of the invention the drawing illustrates arectangular shaped sheet metal tablet box which includes a body memberII and a cover member I2. These members are preferably of shallowonepiece die drawn construction.

The body member I| comprises a flat bottom wall section I4 (Fig. 2)which is surrounded by a continuous upright wall I5. The upright wallincludes a front wall section I6, a rear wall'section Il, and a pair ofconnecting side Wall sections I. The side wall sections I8 are cut awayadjacent the rear wall section Il as indicated by the numeral I9, andthe rear wall is made correspondingly lower so that free hinging actionof mbodying the instant invention, the view showthe cover may be had aswill be explained hereoutside of the corresponding upright vwallsections of the body.

The cover I2 is adapted to be rocked on the body II by pressure appliedto it along the rear edges of the box to initially open it. For thispurpose the cover is formed with a pair of fulcrum lugs 28 (Figs. 1, 2and 4) which are located in the cover top wall section 2| adjacent toand extending into the cover side wall sections 25. The lugs arepreferably pressed inwardly from these two wall sections 2|, 25 and reston the top terminal edges of the body side wall sections I8 when thecover is in a closed or partially opened position as shown in Figs. 2and 3.

When the cover is in closed position it is held against accidentalopening along its front wall section 23 and along its side wall sections25 adjacent its rear wall section 24. At the front of the box this iseffected by a pair of interlocking nodes, lugs, protuberances orprojections 3|,

32 which are formed in the respective wall sections I6, 23 of the bodyand cover members.

At the rear of the box the locking is effected in hinge elements whichinclude a pair of inwardly extending nodes or projections 35 (Figs. 1and 5) which are formed in the cover side wall sections 25. There is oneof these hinge nodes on each side of the cover and it extends into andoperates in an elongated or oblong recess 3B formed in each side wallsection I8 ofthe body. The bottom of each recess is formed with a pairof spaced, upper and lower, inwardlyI extending. round depressions 31,38 having a locking ridge 39 betweenthem. It is in these depressionsthat the locking nodes 35 engage.

When the cover is in closed position `the hinge nodes 35 are seated inthe upper locking depressions 3'I. The ridges 39 retain thecorresponding nodes in the upper depressions and thus cooperate with thefront locking nodes 3|, 32 in locking the cover against accidentalopening.

When it is desired to open the cover, a slight pressure applied to therear edge of the box, as by pinching the cover and body rear edgestogether, rocks the cover on its fulcrum lugs 28. This rocking actionraises the cover along its front edge and disengages the locking lugs3|, 32 thereby releasing the cover and allowing it to snap into aninitially opened position as shown in Fig. 3.

This same rocking action depresses the rear edge of the cover and forceseach hinge node 35 out of the corresponding upper hinge lockingdepression 31. During such shifting action, the nodes ride over thelocking ridges 39 as they snap into the lower hinge depressions 38 afterwhich they are locked by the ridges 39. 'Ihese lower depressionsthereupon become hinge elements as the cover is raised by hand from itsinitially opened position into a full open position, f

as shown in Fig. 6. This latter position gives full access to theinterior of the box.

Upon closing the cover again, the hinge nodes 35 remain in the lowerhinge depressions 38 until the cover is brought down into the positionshown in Fig. 3. In such position the fulcrum lugs 28 again come intoengagement with the top edge of the body side walls I8and thereuponbegin to function as fulcrum points. Continuous closing of the cover nowrocks it on these fulcrum points and the hinge nodes 35 are forced backinto the upper hinge locking depressions 31. At the same time the frontlocking nodes 3|, 32 are reengaged as shown in Fig. 2 and the cover isthus securely locked against accidental opening.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantageswill be understood from the foregoing description, and it will beapparent that various changes mair be made in the form, construction andarrangement of the parts Without departing frcm the spirit and scope ofthe invention or sacricing all of its material advantages, the formhereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.-

I claim:

1. A hinge cover tablet box and the like, comprising a body member, acover member, and a pair of hinge elements including a hinge node ineach of two opposite walls of one of said members and a guide recess ineach of two corresponding Walls of the other of said members, each ofsaid recesses having a pair of spaced locking hinge depressions in which'said nodes operate and in which said nodes may be shifted from one tothe other, one of each pair of said depressions retaining said cover inlocked position on the body, and the other of each pair of depressionsserving as hinge elements on which the cover is opened when the hingenodes are shifted from one set of depressions to the other.

2. A hinge cover tablet box and the like, cornprising a body memberhaving a front Wall section and a pair of sidewall sections, a covermember also having a front Wall section and a pair of side Wallsections, hinge elements including a pair of hinge nodes formed one ineach side wall section of one of said members adjacent its rear edge andalso including a pair of elongated recesses formed one in each side wallsection of the other of said memberseach of said elongated recesseshaving a pair of spaced rounded depressions one above the other, saidhinge node. selectively occupying either the upper or the 10W` er ofsaid depressions one location providing fo locking of the cover memberin closed positioi the other providing a hinging action to permie"moving of said cover member into fully opened position, a pair oflocking projections in the front wall sections of the members forcooperating with said hinge nodes in locking said cover member closed.and a pair of fulcrum lugs in said cover. member and bearing againstsaid body member to provide for initially opening said cover member Ibyapplying a pressure at the rear edge thereof. 3. A pintlelesssubstantially rectangular hinge cover box for tablets and the like,comprising in combination a box body member With front rear and sidewalls, a complementary cover member adapted to hingedly telescope oversaid body member, means on one of said members engaging the other memberto obtain a rocking movement of said cover into open and closed positionrelative to said body member when a pinching pressure is applied to thebox, and a hinge connection between said body and cover memberscomprising a pair of projections, one in each side Wall of one of saidmembers and two complementary depressions in each side Wall of the otherof said members, a said projection enter-T ing and hinging in first oneand then in thef other of said depressions when the cover is openedland'closed. .1' CHARLES H. DAHLGREN. f'

